Category: Pattern Projects

The boy and I have been living together for about 3 months now, and since we are both partially unemployed we have a lot of days where we want to tear off each other’s heads don’t have much to do. You can only binge watch so many Netflix shows before you need something else to do, but how to answer the age old question – what do you want to do today?

Enter the Date Jar! This is far from an original idea and so I hesitate to call it a DIY, but it was inspired by multiple Pinterest posts. My jar took less than 5 dollars to make after purchasing all the supplies at the 99 cent store, and it took about an hour to write out all the ideas. Use colored popsicle sticks if you want to code your activities; since we are low on cash right now we color coded for at home, free (or almost), middling, and pricey. You can also color the tops of the sticks to do the same thing!

The real trick with this DIY is not making the jar however, but coming up with the ideas! likely you have some of your own, like things you already love to do together, things you’ve been meaning to do, or activities specific to your area. Everyone needs a little inspiration however, so I’ve compiled some good lists here:

Those are just my favorites – about a million more can be found by searching “date ideas’ on Pinterest, including loads of great date jars since I couldn’t possibly do something totally original! If you’re young and broke take a look! You’d be surprised how much fun you can have with just a little money.

The apartment improvements have taken a short backseat after discovering our A/C unit was broken and had to be replaced, a not so cheap affair. But with the boy getting more freelance work everyday and me applying to literally 50 jobs a week, something is bound to work out soon! All the trials and tribulations of being a young person.

If you guys have any other date idea links you love, feel free to share and I’ll add them to the list! And while you’re busy having fun in the world, remember:

Yo dawg, I heard you like beads so I made a bead of beads so you can bead while you bead.

Yup, I’ve created incepti-bead. Well technically Beadaholique created it as one of their wonderful beading DIY videos. If you are a beader – especially a bead weaver – their DIY’s are just perfect. Check out the video tutorial for this lovely project, made using bicone crystals and a right angle weave. Move on past the jump for more photos and my thoughts on the project.

Sometimes, as a crafter, things go horribly wrong don’t work out the way you planned. There is a reason Pinterest Fail and the multiple blogs like it are some of my favorite. The internet isn’t filled with perfect experts – sometimes something that worked well for one person doesn’t work well for everyone. As a craft blogger this is a bit self-deprecating, but truly is the truth. Sometimes I screw up. This was one of those times. Enter – the gilded jar project.

Alright so it’s not that bad. But c’mon. obviously this was not even slightly what I was looking for. So let’s take this post as an example of what not to do in projects – namely change it for your own purposes. Do what the instructions tell you guys. For real. Here’s why.

WHAT TIME IS IT? It’s Valumtimes day! WHAT ARE WE GONNA GET? Several boys!

Alright that’s enough Homestar Runner References.

But in all serious it is Valentimes, which means it’s making gifts times when you’re a crafter. Some holidays don’t require DIY, but something about Valentines day implies a personal touch and love that only can come from a homemade gift. I bought my boyfriend a book this year since he’s very practical about gifts, so I lose DIY cred. I decided to make up for it by making him a little trinket to go along with the book, and Secret Life of a Bio Nerd’s ribbon heart DIY was perfect parts really cool looking and stupid difficult. It’s a fun project but let me warn you:

Well this is my first official post, YAY! I decided to start with something simple but still really interesting, and was instantly drawn to a pattern by Gabrielle Blair (aka Design Mom) for “Yarn Ball Bookmarks.” The link for the DIY is super simple that even an older child could find heads of it. Find it here: Design Mom

In working on this project I wanted to use a lovely red/brown/orange skein I bought in Arizona last winter on a visit, but as is usually the case with skeins, I can never figure out how to use them without making a huge mess. I usually ball skeins for ease of use, so I’m gonna share how I ball my yarn here.